Google Extends EAS Support for Windows Phone Users Again

Last January, Google vowed to kill off support for Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) for individuals using Gmail and Google Calendar, meaning that these services would no longer work with Windows or Windows Phone. After some early freak-outs, Google agreed to extend the support through mid-2013, and Microsoft said it would support newer Google access protocols in Windows Phone. But with that second deadline passed, Google has now extended support again, this time to the end of 2013.

Check out Google Throws Down the Gauntlet, Kills EAS Support for a full rundown of Google’s initial announcement, which I described as Google declaring war on Microsoft since EAS is a de facto industry standard owned by Microsoft and supported on all modern mobile devices. Then, in January, Microsoft announced that it had reached an agreement with Google to extend EAS support through July 31, 2013, and that it would add support for CalDAV and CardDAV to Windows Phone so that their common users could continue accessing Gmail-based contacts and Google Calendar. You can find out more about that in Microsoft to Support CalDAV and CardDAV in Windows Phone.

You may have noticed that July has come and gone and that Microsoft’s CalDAV/CardDAV support is basically nowhere to be seen. (It’s allegedly included in the GDR2 update for Windows Phone 8 that is currently available only to users of the Nokia Lumia 925 and 1020. But as I noted in Windows Phone 8 GDR2, this support is not among the improvements listed in Microsoft’s documentation for this update.

So Google has stepped back from the abyss. In a support notice on its web site, the firm revealed this week that “Windows Phone users can continue to set up new device connections with Google Sync through December 31, 2013. Windows 8 and Windows RT users can access Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Contacts through their browsers.” (It’s always been unclear why/how Windows Phone was able to work with Google and Windows has not.)

Given the second-rate nature with which Google treats Windows and Windows Phone users, maybe we should use this extra time to wean ourselves off of Google services. Thanks, Google.

Discuss this Article 14

Funny that Google is allowed to behave this way and people barely blink an eye, but more than a decade ago Microsoft was taken to court over the matter (with Google being part of the complaining party). Though I suppose that the market is different in the sense that there's plenty of competition happening right now.

I really hope Microsoft can pull through and regain their edge again... I just don't want to do IT in a Google-dominated environment. Every time I use their stuff it feels like I'm stuck in early 2000's where I can do anything I want-- IF I can figure out how and don't mind the app crashes.

I abandoned Google services completely when they were so adamantly anti-Windows Phone. I have no idea why they are dropping EAS support at all, but at least good on them to support it a little longer, I guess, until Microsoft can force GDR2 (or GDR3) through the carriers.

Believe so, and thee AT&T 520 as well. Haven't heard any confirmation from folks with those about CarDav and CalDav.

Personnally I did/do use some Google services, but have kept my Contacts/Calendar based in Microsoft. So all I get out of Google is GMail which works OK on IMAP for those things I use it for. Doesn't seem to matter where I host my contacts.

I switch to Outlook.com when I first heard issue with Gmail and Windows Phone. I have Outlook.com get all my emails from Gmail, so I do not need to worry about people who have not received the new email. I am also able to set Outlook.com up in outlook using exchange. I have actually combined several email accounts in Outlook.com that I have accumulated over the years. I believe this should help with my phone battery. Instead of having multiple EAS email accounts, I only have one.

What is the long list of email service providers who support EAS that make it a, "de facto industry standard"? While EAS may well be superior, IMAP is the protocol that you can pretty much guarantee an email provider will support.

It's one of my personal minor irritations with Windows Phone that the IMAP email support is inferior to EAS in odd ways for no obvious reason. For example, why isn't email flagging supported for IMAP when it is for EAS - it's certainly not a limitation of IMAP itself. Presumably Gmail users are affected by the inferior IMAP support now – I was rather hoping that this might encourage Microsoft to fix it.

I just don't get the upset about Google not wanting to pay Microsoft to support their own proprietary standard. Maybe I misunderstand, but does Microsoft allow Google to provide EAS support for no fee? If not then of course they want to move away from it. They aren't blocking Windows Phone from anything, they are just telling them they have to use new standards.

It seems Google could kill WP once and for all and for good by simply refusing to support EAS. I am curious why they do not do this. It would be in pefect alignment with their corporate culture, which is indeed very Appleish and Microsoftian in nature.

I just don't get it. I thought Google's thing isn't selling devices, and as long as people are using devices, they get paid, but that doesn't apply to Microsoft devices? Why are they attacking Microsoft devices when devices isn't their primary business? They have no business doing this.

On a side note, there's a small typo in your article. Second paragraph, you wrote 2012 instead of 2013.

So GDR2 doesn't include CalDAV/CardDAV and Google decides to extend ActiveSync support.
I read this as Google supporting WP while once again MS snubs it's own platform. I guess all the WP8 users are as expendable to MS as the WP7 early adopters.